Joseph



(No'Model.)

J. APPLEBY.

DRIVE CHAIN.

No. 441,815. Patented Deu. Z, 1890.

NITED STATES ArtNr Cerler..

JOSEPH APPLEBY, OF BIRhIINGlIAM, ENGLAND.

DRIVE-CHAIN.

SBECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,815, dated December2, 1890,

Application led August 25, 1890. Serial No. 362,958. (No model.)Patented in England September 20, 1888, No. 13,559.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH APPLEBY, engineer, a subject of the Queen ofBritain, residing at GO Caroline Street, Parish of Birmingham, in thecounty of Varwick, in England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Chains for Bicycles, Tricycles, and other like Vehicles,also for Iiawn- Mowers and Similar Machinery, (for which Letters Patenthave been obtained in Great Britain, No. 13,559, dated September 20,1888,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

IIeretofore in the ordinary driving-chains the outer or side blanks havebeen united to the inner or intermediate blocks by means of rivets,which necessarily must be soft in order to admit of riveting the blocksworking on such rivets, and the blanks being also soft. Now in order toproduce a drivingchain which shall have soft side blanks, and yet affordhard wearing-surfaces between the rivets and the inner blocks, I make achain of the following construction:

This my improved chain consists of hardened-steel or iron blocks, sottrivets cut oft from plain wire and without shoulders, and ahardened-steel tube or sleeve on the rivet or interposed between it andthe blocks, and, moreover, formed with end projection or teeth, whichbefore the riveting is effected are by pressure embedded into the sideblanks, forming depressions therein. By this means I obtain a cheapdriving-chain possessing great strength and durability, inasmuch as Iprovide hardened-steel wearing-surfaces together with the toughness ofsott rivets and soft side blanks. l am also enabled by this invention toproduce a chain of an intermediate character-that is to say, a betterone than the aforesaid ordinary one, but not so good as what I call animprovedichain in its best form, and I for that purpose, while retainingthe hard-steel sleeve or tube on the plain rivets without shoulders,make the blocks of an unhardened material.

My aforesaid hard sleeve or tube and soft unshouldered rivets are alsoapplicable to ordinary chains in which the blocks are made in one ormore pieces.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a side View, and 2 an end view,of one of the blocks of the chain. Fig. 8 is a side view ofgone of theouter blanks. Fig. a shows a fiat piece of thin sheet-steel, and Fig. 5shows the same formed into a tube. Fig. 6 is a side View of one ot therivets of the chain, and Fig. 7 shows a rivet with a steel tube placedthereon. Fig. 9 is a side view of an outer blank after being formed withdepressions for the purpose of my invention. part sectional elevation ofmyimproved chain. Fig. lO is a side view of a steel-lined tube, and Fig.11 a section of a compound block provided with such lined tubes. Fig. l2is a side view of an outer blank to be used with such block.

My improved driving-chaiu is constructed as follows:

A indicates a block, preferably of mild steel, said block being of thedesired dimensions, and through the ends thereof are formed holes d of asize to receive the pin `or rivet which may be employed. I prefer to usecasehardened blocks, though for cheapness I use unhardened blocks.

B indicates the side pieces or blanks, each of which has holes b formedtherein at each end, into which holes are adapted to be fitted the endsof the rivets D, presentlyldescribed.

C indicates a tube, formed by rolling from a blank, such as shown at C',Fig. 4, said blank being provided with teeth or projections o at two ofits opposite edges, whereby the completed tube C will have such teeth c,as shown in Fig. 5.

The tube C Ais made slightly longer ,than the block, and is sufficientlysmall in diameter to pass freely through the holes d. The tube afterbeing formed may be hardened and tempered.

D indicates the rivets which I employ, formed from a piece of roundsoft-steel wire of such a diameter as to cause the rivet to tightly titwithin the steel tube C, as shown in Fig. 7. The said rivets have noshoulders and are of sufficient length to cause them to project beyondthe ends of the tubes C and project within the holes b in the sideblanks B, as seen in Fig. 8.

In constructing my improved chain from the blocks A, side blocks B,tubes C, and rivets D,Iarrauge the said partsin the following Fig. 8isa' IOO loose.

manner: I rst take the tubes C described and t Within each one of therivets D, With the ends of the latter projecting beyond the ends ot thetube, whereby substantial jointpins are formed, as shown in Fig. 7. Ithen take one byoue ot' the described side blanksB and insert Withineach hole b thereof one ofthe combined rivets and tubes, Fig.7,withtheteeth or projectionsc at one of the ends of the tubes C abutting againstthe side blanks. I then place the blocks A upon the tubes C, and takeother side blanks and fit the same on the other ends of the rivets andpress the side blanks together, whereby the teeth at each end of thetubes C will be caused to bite into the side blanks and form asubstantial shoulder, leaving space enough to allow the blocks A to Workfreely, after which the ends of the rivets are clinched or riveted, asshown in section in Fig. 8, thus preventing the jointpins from turning,and consequently Wearing the holes in the side blanks and .becoming Bypressing the teeth c of tubes Cinto the side blanks the latter arecaused to have a series of depressions around each hole b, as shown atb, Fig. 9.

The construction ot the chainis continued in the before-describedmanneruntil thechain has reached the required length. Its ends are thenjoined togetherin any ordinary manner, as by means of a screw andlock-nut.

Instead of using ablock A formed from one piece of metal, I may, asshown in Fig. 1l, employ a block consisting of a series of blanks A',pierced at each end, in which case I line the holes thus formed with asteel tube E, running from end to end of the block, said tube E beingtoothed at its ends, whereby the teeth e may be pressed into the blanks(which may be countersunk) to x the parts firmly together; or the tube Emay have no teeth, and the ends thereof may be simply bulged over intothe -countersunk portions of the y blanks. The interior diameter of thetube E should be such as tol adapt the rivet D, with its tube C, to tittherein.

and the inside steel tube C hard.

The blanks B, being made of iron-or similar material, I generally leavesott; but the blocks A may be hardened or case-hardened proves theWearing surface, it having one long even bearing instead of Wearing onthe edges of the holes in each of the said blanks, as heretofore.

Having described my invention, what I ings and riveted at their ends tothe side blanks, and a tube surrounding each ot said pins and providedat its ends With teeth or projections adapted to be pressed into theside blanks, for the purpose specified.

2. In adriving-chain, the combination, with the side blanks providedWith openings, as described, and the block fitting between the sideblanks and having openings adapted to align with the openings in theside blanks, of pins passing through the openings in the block and sideblanks, and a tube surrounding each of said pins and provided at itsends with teeth or projections adapted to be pressedinto the sideblanks, for the'purpose specified.

3. In a driving-chain. the combination, with the side blanks providedwith openings, as described, and a block consisting ot a series ofseparate blanks provided with aligned openings and fitting between theside blanks, and lining-tubes fitted Within the aligned openings of theblock, ol pins passing through the said lining-tubes and the openingsinthe side blanks, and a tube surrounding each of said pins and providedat its ends with teeth or projections adapted to be pressed into theside blanks, for the purpose specified.

JOSEPH APPLEBY.

Witnesses:

THOMAS MARsToN, A. ll. GANNAWAY.

This im-

